Mississippi Today

IHL board voted to renew Hudson’s contract a week before no-confidence vote

Published

2 years ago

February 16, 2023

IHL board voted to renew Hudson’s contract a week before no-confidence vote

by Molly Minta, Mississippi Today
February 16, 2023

One week before the faculty senate at Jackson State University voted “no confidence” in President Thomas Hudson, the college board voted to renew his contract for another four years.

During an executive session after its regular monthly board meeting on Jan. 19, the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees voted to renew Hudson’s contract through 2027. They also renewed the contract for Jerryl Briggs, the president of Mississippi Valley State University, for another four years.

The contract renewals were made public in this month’s board book.

It is unclear if the contract renewal means Hudson or Briggs received a raise. As of last year, both presidents received a $300,000 annual salary from the state of Mississippi and an additional $5,000 foundation bonus.

The contract renewal signals the IHL board is supportive of Hudson as he is now dealing with the fallout from the faculty senate’s no-confidence vote. A JSU alum, Hudson was appointed president in the wake of a scandal after former president William Bynum was arrested in a prostitution sting.

At Thursday’s meeting, Hudson told Mississippi Today he is “always grateful for the support” from the IHL board.

In a statement to Mississippi Today sent after the story published, Hudson continued: “We’ve seen excellent progress over the last three years and I look forward to the work ahead. I’d like to thank the IHL board for their continued support of my administration and our accomplished students, faculty and staff.”

Tom Duff, the IHL Board president, said the board is “very pleased” with Hudson and that the contract renewal was not connected to the no confidence vote.

“Candidly, Jackson State is moving forward,” Duff said, citing the university’s financial and enrollment metrics and graduation rate.

At public universities, faculty senates are governing bodies elected by faculty to represent their concerns. No-confidence votes are relatively rare in Mississippi: The most recent happened in 2019 after the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees appointed Glenn Boyce as chancellor at the University of Mississippi.

The JSU faculty senate’s two-page resolution accused Hudson and four members of his administration of a “continuous pattern of failing to respect” shared governance and other professional norms of higher education. It cited the fact that Hudson has not met with senate leadership since last August, according to faculty senate meeting minutes, instead requesting that concerns be sent in an email to members of his administration.

The resolution also calls out persistent issues of campus safety and the continued lack of a pay equity study for faculty and staff, which the senate has for years been asking Hudson’s administration to undertake.

Hudson’s administration has maintained that JSU could not afford to pay the vendors that responded to two requests for proposals for a pay equity study, though it is unclear how much money Hudson has committed to the study.

After the no-confidence vote, the Clarion-Ledger reported that IHL will investigate.

Duff told Mississippi Today Thursday that the IHL board’s commissioner, Al Rankins, will look into the vote and bring a recommendation to the board.

Rankins works directly with the university presidents in Mississippi, meeting with them frequently.

During a listening session at JSU after he was appointed in 2018, Rankins, who served as president of Alcorn State University, said that matters of shared governance don’t fall under his purview.

“Nothing gives me the authority to address shared governance,” he said. “Shared governance does not mean that all these different groups tell the president what he should do. Ultimately, the decision rests with the president.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

20 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

22 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

22 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.